


Rubato

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Drama, Episode Related: neighborhood, M/M, Series: Three Rs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 02:57:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/793258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apologies given and accepted.<br/>This story is a sequel to Resonance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rubato

**Author's Note:**

> I have it on good authority that the word Rubato is a musical 

## Rubato

by JM Griffin

Author's disclaimer: It is all their fault. If they weren't so beautiful...   


term meaning "freely and easily." 

Warnings: This series hypothesizes an alternative ending for season three. 

* * *

Why did everything in life have to be so difficult? Blair wondered to himself as he stood outside the door to the loft. It should be easy. Here within these walls was everything he'd ever wanted: a home, a partner, someone who cared about him, someone he loved, someone who loved him. 

Blair sighed and pressed his head against the door. Someone who he'd just had a major-ass fight with. Someone he was _in_ love with. Someone who didn't know that, who didn't have a clue. 

The grad student squared his shoulders and quietly, quietly turned the key in the lock. He padded inside and carefully pocketed his keys. The place was still except for the soft, almost snores coming from the couch. Good, Jim was asleep. Quickly and quietly, Blair put down his backpack and headed for the bathroom. 

He wanted a hot shower and a long nap. He didn't want to think about last night at the station or about Jim's unhappiness with his dissertation and their subsequent argument. He didn't want to think about how Jim had snuck the introductory chapter out of Blair's stuff and read it after he had expressly told him he shouldn't. 

He wanted to stand under the warm spray and not think at all. Ha. Like that was going to happen. His mind was going ninety to nothing. Going over and over the events he did not want to think about. He let his tears mingle with the water from the showerhead. When he finally got out of the shower he felt worse, not better. 

Something woke Jim up and he wasn't sure what it was. The Sentinel quickly swept the loft for any disturbance that might have roused him. Blair was home, his back pack was sitting by the door, but that wasn't what had woken him. Jim was so used to Blair's heartbeat and respiration, to his movements in their home, it no longer disturbed him. In fact, he was more comfortable and slept better when Blair was around. So what was the problem here? Jim zeroed in on bathroom, where Blair had just turned off the shower. Jim detected a slightly sluggish heart rate. Blair was obviously tired, but that was to be expected. After all, he'd stayed up all night and then gone in to the university to turn in that paper. 

That paper. Jim stifled a groan and rubbed at his forehead. That damn paper. He wished he'd never read it. He was such a jerk. 

Why hadn't he honored Blair's request? Why had he felt he just _had_ to read it? Why hadn't he listened better all the times Blair had talked about his dissertation? Because if he had, he would have better understood what Blair was saying in the introduction. And he wouldn't have made such an ass of himself, getting mad at Blair for no good reason, picking a fight and causing a riff between them that felt like the Grand Canyon. 

Jim buried his face in his hands and sighed. This was not how he wanted it to be between them. He wanted.... 

* _Get real, Ellison,_ * he chastised himself. * _There's not a snowball's chance in hell for what you really want._ * 

Blair came out of the shower and Jim looked up in time to get a full view of his partner. Blair's hair was damp and curly on bare shoulders. His chest hair was fluffed out from recent drying with a towel. Said towel was wrapped low around his trim hips and a droplet of water beaded at his belly button. 

He looked like an angel. 

//What good is it for a man to have ears that can hear 1000 miles, if he cannot listen to the whispers of his own heart?// Jim jerked upright as the sibilant words rasped in his ear. //The whispers of his own heart.// 

In an instant, he was up over the back of the couch and around the table to Blair's side. The smaller man watched him with wide, startled eyes. 

"Jim? You okay man?" 

"Blair, I.... I'm sorry." Jim reached out to touch one fine damp lock of hair, but saw his hand was trembling and pulled back. 

"Jim?" There was a quizzical look on Blair's face. "You already said that, man..." 

"No, I... Um." * _Damn, why did this have to be so tough?_ * Jim tried again. "Blair, I..." 

But he couldn't find the words. Whatever he said he knew he wouldn't say the right thing. He never did. So instead, he leaned down and gently, oh so very gently, touched Blair's lips with his own. 

Blair made a tiny hissing sound of surprise. Jim felt it and slid one hand up behind Blair's head. He held the younger smaller man there and deepened the kiss \- willing, praying, that he was doing the right thing. He felt a small, subtle gathering movement as Blair made to pull back from him. Jim moved his hand away as if he'd just been burned. Oh god, Blair didn't want him. The detective closed his eyes against the intense pain in his heart. And then he felt it, Blair's lips pressing firmly against him, his partner's still damp chest pressed against his tee shirt clad one. 

Jim opened his eyes as he and Blair parted to breathe, to find himself looking into wild sapphire eyes. 

"I love you, Chief," he said all in a rush, still scared to death he would fuck this up. 

"Jim," was all Blair said before he threww his arms around the big cop sobbing and shaking. 

Jim scooped the smaller man up and crossed back over to the couch. He set Blair down, then leaned over him, capturing that lush, full-lipped mouth in a deep kiss. 

Blair's tongue was in his mouth, on his lips, teasing down his neck, then stopping at Jim's shirt collar. "Take this off, please?" 

Jim whipped his tee off, then grinned ferally as he as stripped the towel from Blair. 

"Hey, not fair." Blair pouted, but Jim had his own sweat pants off in a heartbeat. He straddled the smaller man, still grinning, and when Blair moaned and arched against him, Jim thought he might die - the feel of that body against his own, so very exquisite, all but shattered him. 

The two men kissed again and undulated against each other. They shifted a bit and Blair took the opportunity to wrap his hand around his lover's erection. 

Oh, the feel of it, better than any fantasy. Blair heard soft, yielding sounds coming from Jim's throat and was totally astounded. The man was hot, hard and needy. Hot and hard for _him._ Needing _him._

"Jim, Jim." He gasped out. He had to say it. He had to say it NOW. "I love you." And Jim shoved up into Blair's curled hand and came in a burst that bathed them both. 

Watching Jim's face as the aftershocks of orgasm faded away, Blair saw such incredible love there that he could hardly breathe. 

Jim smiled and then suddenly ducked his head and took Blair's rampant cock in his mouth. He moved shallowly at first, licking and sucking gently. Then he took his lover's organ even deeper. 

Blair felt his body begin to ignite and burn like a bright flame. And when he came he felt his soul melt like molten wax and flow out and mingle with Jim's. 

"Blair?" Jim whispered some minutes later. "You okay, love?" 

"Ah, Jim." A smile touched Blair's kiss reddened lips. "I am so much more than okay." 

"Then let's take this upstairs. The couch isn't big enough for both of us." 

"I don't know about that. It did the job a few minutes ago." 

Jim growled and stood up and Blair watched in appreciation as the older man stretched his hard-muscled body like a sleek jungle cat. Then Blair got up from the couch and, with a studied nonchalance, headed up the stairs. Jim followed without a word. 

The two fell on the bed and made love once again, freely and easily. This time they climaxed together and as they did Jim heard the deep satisfied roar of a panther, mingled with the sharp, vibrant cry of a wolf. He might of wondered about it, except at the moment, he was too damn happy to think. 

* * *

End Rubato. 


End file.
